Choose chunks when the tuna will be mixed into a sandwich or pasta filling; consider steaks or fillets when the child prefers larger, recognisable pieces. A no-drain pack removes a preparation step, while the packing medium changes what goes into the lunch. Whichever format you choose, check the fish-allergen information, look for bones while preparing it and follow the pack’s instructions for opened tuna.
Chunks are practical when tuna will be mixed with mayonnaise or vegetables for a sandwich, wrap or pasta pot. East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust suggests tuna with ingredients such as cucumber or sweetcorn in a packed lunch.
Steaks or fillets offer a more recognisable piece of fish than chunks. Break the tuna up and check it while preparing the lunch: the M&S tuna steak product page warns that bones may remain.
A no-drain format removes the step of draining liquid before making a filling. John West offers a no-drain tuna steak product; check the exact pack if you also have a preference for steak rather than chunks.
Start with how the tuna will be served, then compare the exact pack’s ingredients and handling instructions.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Piece size | Check whether the pack contains chunks, steaks or fillets. Steaks and fillets retain larger pieces; chunks are easier to distribute through a mixed filling. | For a tuna-mayo sandwich, I want pieces that mix through the filling. For a salad or rice pot, recognisable pieces may matter more. |
| Packing medium | Read the ingredients and nutrition panel for the exact product. M&S lists 0.6g fat per 100g for its spring-water tuna steak and 17.3g per 100g for its olive-oil Ventresca fillets; those figures describe different products. | Does spring water, brine or oil fit the filling I am making? I do not want to assume that products packed in different liquids have the same ingredients or nutrition. |
| Preparation | Check whether draining is required and whether the pack size suits the amount you will use. No-drain is a format description, not a promise about piece size. | On a busy morning, skipping a draining step would help. If I am mixing the tuna into pasta anyway, standard chunks may do the job. |
| Allergen and bones | Check the current pack’s fish-allergen declaration and any bone warning. Inspect the tuna while preparing it; M&S warns that bones may remain in its tuna steak. | I need to follow the child’s allergy plan and the school’s food policy, and check the filling before it goes into the lunchbox. |
| Opened tuna | Follow the exact pack’s storage and use-by-opening instructions. The M&S steak and Ventresca fillet pages say to refrigerate leftovers and eat them within 2 days. | If a pack provides more than one lunch’s worth, I need a plan for storing the unused tuna. |
| Fish variety | The NHS says fresh and canned tuna do not count as oily fish. Consider oily-fish choices separately when planning fish meals. | I do not want a tuna packed lunch to stand in for an oily-fish choice elsewhere in the week. |
The format changes how the tuna works in a filling: loose chunks mix through mayonnaise, while steaks and fillets offer larger pieces.
Decide whether the child wants distinct pieces or a mixed filling before choosing a format. Do not use “fillet” alone as a quality guarantee.
The NHS says canned tuna does not count as oily fish, even though it is a fish option for a lunch.
If oily-fish variety matters to your meal planning, consider that separately rather than relying on tuna to provide it.
Fish is an allergen, and the M&S tuna steak page warns that bones may remain. Both checks matter when preparing food for a child.
Read the current pack, follow the child’s allergy plan and school policy, and inspect the tuna as you make the filling.
Opened-product instructions vary by pack. M&S says to refrigerate leftovers from its tuna steak and Ventresca fillets and eat them within 2 days.
Check the pack before preparing more than one lunch’s worth, and follow its instructions for any unused tuna.
John West offers no-drain tuna steak and chunk formats for fillings where draining is an unwanted preparation step.
Princes lists tuna steaks in brine, spring water and sunflower oil, alongside chunk and other tuna formats.
Tesco’s tinned-tuna category includes own-label steaks and chunks as well as products packed in different liquids.
Sainsbury's lists own-label tuna chunks in spring water, brine and oil, alongside branded steak and no-drain products.
M&S provides product details for a tuna steak in spring water and Ventresca fillets in olive oil.
These options include an olive-oil tuna steak for larger pieces, a no-drain chunk pack and conventional chunks for mixed packed-lunch fillings.
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A steak format to consider when larger tuna pieces suit the lunch. It is packed in olive oil and contains fish; check the pack and inspect the tuna for bones while preparing it. Refrigerate opened leftovers and use them within 2 days, as instructed for this product.
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These chunks remove the draining step when making a sandwich or salad filling; they are not steak or fillet pieces. The product contains fish. Check for bones while preparing it, and refrigerate opened tuna for use within 2 days as instructed.
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Spring-water chunks in a four-can pack suit fillings where the tuna will be mixed through a sandwich or pasta pot. This product contains fish; inspect the tuna for bones. Its opened-product instructions call for unused tuna and liquid to be transferred to a non-metallic container, refrigerated and consumed within 2 days.
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These sunflower-oil-packed chunks are an option for a mixed sandwich or pasta filling when that packing medium suits the meal. The pack contains four 145g cans. Check its fish-allergen information and inspect the tuna for bones; refrigerate opened leftovers and use within 2 days as instructed.
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Brine-packed chunks can be drained and mixed into a sandwich or salad filling. This is a four-can pack containing fish; check the label and inspect the tuna for bones. Its opened-product instructions call for leftovers to be refrigerated in a sealed container and consumed within 2 days.
Not for every filling. Choose chunks if you will mix tuna into mayonnaise, pasta or a wrap; consider steaks or fillets if the child prefers larger, recognisable pieces. A no-drain format addresses preparation rather than guaranteeing either texture.
No. The NHS says fresh and canned tuna do not count as oily fish, so consider oily-fish choices separately when planning fish meals.
Check the fish-allergen declaration on the exact pack and follow the child’s allergy plan and the school’s food policy. The M&S tuna steak and Ventresca fillet product pages both identify tuna as fish in their ingredients.
Yes. The M&S tuna steak product page warns that bones may remain, so break up and inspect the tuna as you prepare a child’s filling.
Follow that pack’s storage instructions. The M&S tuna steak and Ventresca fillet pages say to refrigerate leftovers and eat them within 2 days; the steak instructions also call for unused contents to be transferred to a non-metallic container.